As one of vehicle drive-control devices, a vehicle drive-control device has been well known which controls steered wheels by means of steered angle varying device which is referred to variable steering gear ratio system (VGRS). In such type of drive-control device, a road is specified by analysis of the image ahead of the vehicle captured by a camera; a target trajectory is set on the basis of the specified road; and steered wheels are controlled so as to make the vehicle travel along the target trajectory.
When a steering wheel which serves as a steering input means is caused to rotate by means of the steered wheels being steered by the trajectory control, the occupants in the vehicle feel annoyance. In order to cope with the problem, it has already been known to control a steered angle varying device and a power steering device so as to keep the rotation of the steering wheel as little as possible even the steered wheels are steered by the trajectory control.
However, the occupants in the vehicle in which the trajectory control is executed cannot foresee the change in vehicle travel direction cased by the trajectory control and, for that reason, may feel anxious and uneasy. For example, in a situation where the curvature of the road ahead of the vehicle varies, the occupants may feel anxious and uneasy as to whether or not the vehicle will travel changing its travel direction appropriately along the road. In another situation where a branch of the road exists ahead of the vehicle, the occupants may feel anxious and uneasy as to whether or not the vehicle will change or will not change the travel direction to select a road which they wish to take and pass the branch.
As one of the means to solve the problem, as is described in the below-mentioned patent citation 1, it has already been proposed to announce the change in travel direction of the vehicle by sound by a navigation unit or to show advance notice as to the change in travel direction of the vehicle on a display such as a meter or the like.